Tool for assorting and bunching nails.



No. 658,537. Patented sept. 25, |900.

M. J. wHALEN.

TUUL FR ASSRTING AND BUNCHING NAILS.

(Application led Dec. 6, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

lun pugni WIT/VESSES AllVl/E/VTO/L? M2M/, By A JM ru: Nonms Pinzas co.pHoro-urna.. wAsmNeTou, n, c.

No. 658.537. Patented Sept. 25, i900. M. J. WHALEN.

TO0L FUR ASSORTING AND BUNCHING NAILS.

(Application filed Dec. 6, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

i/z.. i

. By j/bdagkw if y E Eq MICHAEL JOSEPH WHALEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND ALBERT PASTERNAK, OF SAME PLACE.

TOOL FOR ASSORTINGAND BUNCHING NAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of 'Letters Patent No. 658,537. datedSeptember 25, 1900. Application filed December 6, 1899i. derial No.'739,355V (No model.) Y

To al?, wtontif ina/y concern:

Be it known that i, MICHAEL JOSEPH WHA- LEN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New York, (Long Island Oity,) in the county ofQueens and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Tools for Assorting and Buuching Nails, of which thefollowing is a full and complete specification, such as will enablethose skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to tools for assorting and bunching nails; and ithas for its object to provide a simple and improved tool of thischaracter which will be adjustably adapted for asserting various sizesof wire nails, its range of effectiveness extending from very smallnails to large ones, which can be conveniently operated, and which willbe inex pensive, effective, and efficient.

ln the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, inwhich like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in theseveral views, Figure l isa top or plan View of' the tool embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2 2of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3 3of Fig. 1. Fig. et is an inverted pan view. Fig. 5 is a longitudinalsectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, l designates a suitable base-plate, fromwhich extends rearwardly a handle 2, which is preferably of skeletonform, as herein shown. From the base-plate 1 a series of fingers 3project forwardly in parallel position with an intervening space, as at4. At the ends of the baseplate 1 brackets 5 5 project upwardly, andthrough openings 6 in said brackets pass setscrews 7 7. A top plate 8 isslidable upon the top of the base-plate 1 and is adapted to be adjustedthereon in a transverse movement with relation to the tool orinstrument, said top plate being provided at its ends with lugs orbrackets 9 9, having threaded openings, which are engaged by theset-screws 7 7. Said adjustable plate 8 carries a series offorwardly-projecting fingers 10, which are arranged in parallel positionand relatively with respect to the fingers 3 and have their side edgesat their front ends beveled or inclined, as at 1l, to provide anapproximately V- shaped or pointed front end 12. The lingers 10 areslidably connected to the fingers 3 by means of pins or studs 13,projecting from the top of the fingers 3 and engagingtransverselyextended slots 14 in the lingers L0. The relativeconstruction and arrangement is such that the fingers 10 have a slidingor adjustable movement upon the fingers 3 with respect to theintervening open spaces 4, whereby the width of said spaces between thefingers is varied to adapt the tool or instrument for various sizes ofnails.

In the practical construction of the device the fingers 3 are preferablyprovided at the side opposite the side which carries the adjustablefingers 10 with a raised portion l5, the inner edge of which, 16, formsa stop for the inward adjustment of the lingers 10,while the rear edgesof said top enlargement 15 form a shoulder 17, against which the frontedge of the sliding plate S is guided, while the front ends of saidenlargement form a shoulder 1S, against which a similar shoulder 19 uponthe lingers l0 in rear of' their pointed front ends 12 is guided. Thefront outer edges of the enlarged portion l5 may be beveled, as at 20,to form a continuous beveled edge in conjunction with the points l2 whenthe arms 10 are at the limit of their lateral outer adjustment, asindicated in dotted lines in Fig. l.

The operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understood.The tool is simply grasped in the hand by means of the handle 2 andthrust into an assortment of nails and then lifted therefrom, by whichoperation only those nails adapted to the adjustment of the device willbe retained Within the intervening spaces 4, as illustrated in Fig. 3,while smaller nails will not be lifted by the device. The adjustment ofthe device by means of the set-screws to vary the lateral projection ofthe' sliding fingers 10 may be conveniently effected to adapt the devicefor any desired size of nails. The pointed ends 12 facilitate theentrance of the nails into the intervening spaces 4 when the device isthrust leo into an assortment of nails, and in the general adaptabilityand operation of the device it will be noted that it will notonly assortnails of various sizes, according to the degree of adjustment atwhich itis set, but that it will also conveniently bunch the same.

It will be understood that in the operation of the device to assortnails the device is first adjusted in its adaptable position for thelargest size of nails which are in the assortment. When itis thrust inthe pile of nails of various sizes and lifted therefrom in a movementinwardly and upwardly, it will retain within the spaces between thefingers only the nails of the largest size, (in relation to which it hasbeen adjusted,) the smaller nails of course dropping through saidspaces. The larger nails, which are thus engaged by the device, are thensimply dropped into the desired receptacle, and the operation iscontinued until all the nails of the largest size have been thusselected and removed from the as-A sortment. The device is then adjustedin its adaptability to the next largest size of nails in the assortmentand the operat'ion is repeated until all the nails of that size havebeen selected and removed, and so on until the smallest-sized nails inthe assortment are reached.

With relation to the operation of bunching nails, it will be understoodthat hunched nails are assembled togetherin a bunch with their heads allcorrespondingly at one end of the bunch, whereby said nails may becarried in the hand for driving. This operation of bunching isordinarily done by hand; but with my improved device, inasmuch as itassembles the nails in the spaces between the fingers with their headsall in uniform relation, (see Fig. 3,) they may when it is desired tobunch the nails, in lieu of simply dropping them into the desiredreceptacle, be simply drawn or slid out from between the spaces by hand,when they will of course all be in hunched condition with their headsuniformly at one end of the bunch.

Having fully describedmy invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent* l. A devicefor'assorting and bunching nails, comprising a main plate or bodyportion carrying a handle and having a series of parallel projectingfingers arranged with intervening spaces, au auxiliary plate providedwith a series of parallel projecting fingers having an adjustablemovement with relation to the main fingers and with respect to saidintervening spaces, and 'means for adjusting said auxiliary plate,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A device for assorting and bunching nails, comprisinga series ofprojecting fingers arranged with intervening spaces, and a series ofauxiliary fingers adjustably arranged with relation to the main fingersand with respect to said intervening space and carrying at their frontendla beveled or pointed portion forming a guide to said interveningspaces, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A device for assorting and bunching nails, comprising a main plate orbody portion provided 'with a handle and with a series of parallelprojecting fingers arranged with intervening spaces, a supplementaryplate carried by said main plate and provided with a series of parallelprojecting auxiliary fingers which are adjustably arranged with relationto said main fingers and with respect to said intervening space, meansfor guidingl or limiting the adjustable movement of the auxiliaryfingers, and means for securing the auxiliary plate in adjustableconnection with the main plate, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname,in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 4th day of December,1899.

MICHAEL JOSEPH WI-IAlEN.

Witnesses:

F. A. STEWART, V. M. VosLER.

